Citation

Roman P. Bull. Psychol. (Paris) 2017; 550(4): 265-273.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Universite de Paris. Groupe D Etudes de Psychologie)

DOI

10.3917/bupsy.550.0265

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The author examines, updates and develops the concept of 'disasters of symbolization' in the framework of projective test productions. This notion was first proposed in an article published in 1997 to outline breakage effects in the process of symbolization. The main hypothesis states that early traumatic experiences have an impact on projective productions in the Rorschach test and the TAT. These traumatic experiences are reflected in projective expressions (disasters of symbolization), which testify to the failure of the symbolization process. A first discussion of the concept of a 'disaster' in mathematics emphasizes its defining dual components: breakage, and the elaboration of a new form. Secondly, a definition of the three figures of symbolization disasters is provided, and illustrated on the basis of two adolescents' Rorschach and TAT protocols, drawn from a study on adolescents with a history of violent sexual acts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords

Trauma; Violence; Symbolism; sexual violence; Sexual Abuse; Projective Techniques; disasters of symbolization; projective figures; traumatic traces